Gray

Gray: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“gray-haired”
Origin
English
Say it
GRAY · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys (88% of all uses)

From an English and Scottish surname originally referring to someone with gray hair or clothing, from Old English grǣg. It is now also used as a given name.

How popular is Gray?

202450.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Gray in 2024167

2024 rank#1,342 boys

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 18805,692

Gray is rising: use over the last five years is 1.5× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Gray

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • JackGod is gracious · English
  • Hudsonson of Hudd · English
  • Jacksonson of Jack · English
  • Cartercart driver · English
  • Wyattbrave in war · English
  • Maverickindependent person · English
  • Masonstoneworker · English
  • Graysonson of the steward · English

Gray questions

What does the name Gray mean?

Gray means "gray-haired". It comes from English. From an English and Scottish surname originally referring to someone with gray hair or clothing, from Old English grǣg. It is now also used as a given name.

Is Gray a boy or girl name?

Gray is mainly a boy's name in US records (89% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Gray?

167 US babies were named Gray in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Gray?

Gray is usually pronounced GRAY.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.